Tonight (Best You Ever Had)
by kaitfarnsworthkuri
Summary: This is a head cannon idea that I got after the 4x14 episode of Glee and just decided to write it. Basically Mercedes feels like she needs to let loose after seeing Brittany and Sam and enlists Brody's help. It's rated M for Adult actions and conversations.
1. Chapter 1 - The Beginning

She lay there panting after what had just happened, the man beside her doing the same except his gaze seemed to be trained on the extravagant chandelier that hung over the bed, it's crystals shimmering against the light, reflecting that same dim light on the both of them, the sweat that laid on their bodies shining in some places, while the smell of sex mediated in the air. Her bed partner turned his head and looked at her a small smile painting his features, his eyes on the other hand didn't share the same warmth that his mouth did. She knew that he had Rachel, hell the man was living with her Santana and Kurt, but she didn't care. Or at least, she was pretending for the time being that she didn't. Seeing her ex and his new 'forever' at her teachers wedding was the last straw. She'd heard about the two of them and their affair from Santana and even heard what he'd said about his new boo, something that set her off. Not in the sense that was anger, but in a carefree way. She'd decided to give up on him and most men for the time being, focusing on the back up singing gig that Sam had gotten her, figuring that she might as well show him that she was better off without him, even if she had to utilize what he'd given her.

Shaking her head, Mercedes looked away from the man that was beside her and at the clock that was on the mahogany table that resided beside her, the time showing that it was in the wee hours of the morning. Finally gaining her breathing back, Mercedes sighed and wrapped her armed around herself before looking over at Brody again, noticing the wrinkle lines in his forehead and his furrowed brows as he not only chewed on his bottom lip but seemingly thought ferociously about something. Covering her face with her hands, Mercedes thought about what had just happened. They'd had some very long, intense and strenuous sex, resulting in multiple orgasms from her and several close calls for him. It had been different from what she was used to with Sam, the two of them had only had sex twice and while she'd been a virgin on their first encounter, it hadn't been as mind blowing as what this experience with Brody had been. Sam had been a gentle lover, but at times too gentle. And while the boy hadn't been a virgin, he didn't exactly last long inside of her, something that was extremely disheartening for the both of them. But this...It was different. While Brody had been gentle, he had also known and read when to be a little rough with her, something that not only shocked her, but pleasured her further than she ever had.

Hearing the rustling of sheets moved her out of her heated thoughts, glad that she was pulled out of them before she got herself aroused again. Looking at the source of the sound, she saw Brody going to move out of the bed, his lip between his teeth in concentration as he tried not to move to loudly and quickly. Sensing her movement, he looked at her, redness filling his already slightly pink cheeks before running a hand through his already messy hair, tousling it even further. "I thought you were asleep" he said, embarrassment heavy in his tone as he spoke towards her.  
Mercedes let out a small chortle before looking at him incredulously. "Boy, who the hell falls asleep like that?" she asked, shaking her head as she held the sheet to her chest, sitting up against the fabric head board looking at him as he shrugged.  
"You'd be surprised Merce" he told her, sending a knowing look towards her. "You're talking to the same man whose seen people fall asleep against a pole on the subway" he said, throwing the sheets away from his toned body and got up, throwing their used condom in the trash bin as he walked to the bathroom, grabbing his discarded boxers off of a nearby lamp shade as he did so, Mercedes' line of sight never changing from the small sway of his ample bottom as he left the room to freshen up."Have you actually seen that happen, because that seems like it'd be hella uncomfortable" she said into the empty room as she looked out the window into the still busy New York street, the nightlife shocking her slightly. She was used to it in LA, or well most of the time since her apartment wasn't in a very busy part of town since anything close to campus was extremely expensive. Never the less, it was still shocking to her to see so many cars bustling about in the night, knowing that nothing like this would be happening in Lima, and let out a sigh as she remembered her home town, smiling to herself as she brought up her legs, resting her head on her knees as she looked outside.  
"You alright?" came from the man who was now standing in the doorway of the bathroom. Arms crossed, boxer clad while his eyebrows furrowed slightly in worry as he looked at her.  
Tossing him a small smile, Mercedes stretched simply before nodding a little. "Yea, I'm fine. Just thinking about things" she told him with a small yet affirming nod, hoping that he understood what she meant.

What she'd told him wasn't a complete lie, she had been thinking, just not about everything that she should have been, like what he was going to do about Rachel, and what she was going to do about showing up at their apartment when everyone got back. Instead she'd been thinking about something as insignificant as the traffic that filled the streets. Brody gave her a skeptical look before shaking his head and chuckling a little as he walked around the room, picking up pieces of clothing, a combination of the both of their clothing choices for that night. "You know...You can talk to me about it...I know we don't know one another, but we just had sex, so I think there's a line that we're free to step over now" he told her, his voice low as he spoke. She stared at him as he sorted through their clothes throwing her jeans and blouse on the bed along with her lacy undergarments before putting his pants on top of her pile and started putting his shirt on, throwing the cotton over his head in a quick motion.

Mercedes sighed and simply nodded to him. "I know that Brody, but don't people normally hook up and just leave it at that?" she asked, her tone a little harsher than she'd intended, earning a raised brow from him.  
"Well I'd say that that's how it normally is" he paused and grabbed his pants, putting his legs through the pants before returning to what he was saying. "But considering the situation we're in, I think that it'd be best for the both of us to at least try to get along, even if we have to act like it's the first time we're meeting one another in a few days" he said to her, doing up the zipper of his jeans and button before moving to his belt, the jingling of his belt buckle filling the quiet room as she digested what he said.

Groaning, Mercedes hung her head till it hit her knees again, shaking her head against the hardness of her fabric covered knee caps. "Why the hell do you have to be right about that?" she said into the small confine that she made before looking up at him, only to see the smile on his face as he laughed.  
"Because I'm just that good" he said confidently as he sat on the bed beside her, resting his hands on his knee. "But seriously, you have my number now...If you want to talk to me, you can" he told her, putting out his hand, and ran it through her hair. A seemingly innocent movement sending a tingle down Mercedes' spine, making her reaction to what he said a reassuring smile. "I'll remember that, I promise" she said, finally looking at him. Her brown doe eyes connecting with him for a moment before his hand left her hair, the connection with both his eyes and his hand shattering as he got up to walk over to the small chair beside the elongated dresser to pick up his jacket, putting it on as his gaze shifted to the window that she herself had been looking out of moments before, his eyes squinting at the darkness. "What time is it?" he asked her, forcing her to reach beside her and grab the clock, reading the time before showing it to him. "It's three am, or well...Three fifteen to be on the dot" she told him before putting it back on the wood table with a thump, looking at him nodding his head. "Getting home is gonna be fun" he said with a laugh as he walked back into the bathroom.

Grabbing her bra off of the pile that Brody had picked up, she put it on and sighed. "You could just stay you know, I'm not gonna get emotional if you have to stay" she told him as she ran a hand through her hair, making sure that her weave was still alright and that she didn't need to go emergency hair salon hunting later.

"Merce, I would, but I can't" he said simply, his tone a little more morose than she was used to with him and didn't reply but simply offered him a understanding purse of the lips. "Fine, then. At least let me pay for a cab okay? You came down here for me, the least I could do is pay for you to get back home" she said to him sternly. She was set on paying for him to go home if he wasn't going to stay, even if it seemed like all she'd used him for was sex, it hadn't been like that and she was just trying to be a good friend and make sure he got home safe, even if he was a guy, going home this late at night, especially to a neighborhood like the one he and their friends lived in, she still wanted him to be safe. Ignoring the look that he gave her, Mercedes grabbed her underwear and slid them on before getting out of the bed, walking over to the dresser and took her wallet out of her purse, taking out sixty bucks and holding it out for him to take, as she attempted to put her wallet back into her purse.

"Mercedes, that's too much for a cab" he told her, looking at the money she handed him, his arms crossing over his chest as a form of rejection towards the small wad of money in his hand. Sighing, Mercedes rolled her eyes and closed the distance between the both of them, taking his hand, even though he struggled, and put the money in the strong yet calloused cavern of his hand, closing his fingers around his palm before looking up at him. "Please take it, I just want you to be safe okay? I wont take no for an answer about it either, so you either take it and go or stay here" she told him stubbornly, she too crossing her arms under her chest as she looked into his eyes, seeing the hesitation within them before hearing him sigh, a grin spreading across her features as she saw him giving in. "Fine, but I'm totally buying you lunch tomorrow" he told her as he reached out and took the back of her head in his hands, bringing his lips to her forehead, leaving a small yet impressionable kiss on her soft skin, causing Mercedes to chuckle. "Fine" she told him before patting his chest in a friendly manner.

Finding himself lingering there for a moment too long, Brody broke away and put his hand that had been on the back of her head under her chin, bringing her face up so she could look him in the eyes. "I had a wonderful time tonight Mercedes and your ex is really missing out. I'm proud to have gotten a piece of all that" he said, his eyes going downwards, assessing her body before looking back into her eyes. "I'll text you tomorrow" he said finally, laying a soft kiss on her lips before smiling and walking towards the door, exiting the room hastily, leaving a bewildered Mercedes standing in her underwear, wondering what the hell had just happened.

Shaking her head and telling herself to stop where her mind was going, Mercedes went over to her bag and grabbed her shower stuff, taking it out and walking into her bathroom, a whine coming out of her mouth as she saw the hickies that resided on her chest before closing the bathroom door and turning the shower on. Hoping and praying that things went smoothly between them later on, deciding to ignore thinking about how serious what they'd done was and just mingle in limbo for the night. She deserved a night of fun, even if it had been Rachel Berry's non exclusive boyfriend, she still deserved to live a little.


	2. Chapter 2

I just wanted to apologize for how long it's been since I last updated. School and life have been insane for me lately; and I've been trying to pass all my courses. So with that, I hope you all forgive me and like/review this chapter. There's still a lot more to go, and I'm hell bound and determined to finish writing this for your pleasure!

Enjoy!

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She'd been up for a few hours now, just sitting in her sun lit hotel room, thinking about what had happened hours earlier. She'd made a mistake, which was evident to her now. Sleeping with Brody; the same man who was both dating and living with Rachel, was something that she should have never done. Sure it was fun and hot, along mind blowing, but it was still wrong. He was her friends boyfriend, he was the same man who helped Rachel get to be the vivacious and more mature woman she was today – he'd done a lot of good for the crazy Berry she knew and loved...Most of the time. So the fact still remained that she'd done something stupid, her frustration with herself deepening when she heard her phone buzzing, and the sound of a very sexual sounding Usher filling her ears. Brody was calling again; it was the third time within the past hour and she still couldn't find the courage to get up, answer the phone, and talk to him about what they had done. With a frustrated and tired groan, Mercedes flopped back on the bed; her body moving slightly as she bounced a bit, the springs in the mattress seeming to not want her to be laying back at the moment.

The room was quiet for a fraction of a second, allowing a sigh of relief to cross Mercedes' full lips and out into the stale air of the room before her phone went off again. Reaching above her head, she grabbed a pillow and held it over her face, letting out a frustrated scream before putting the pillow on her chest, holding it tightly. "I need to stop this" she told herself, shaking her head and looking over at her iPhone. Grabbing it and looking at the texts that Brody had sent her, all of them concerned with how she was only to get increasingly angrier and angrier as she didn't reply. Pursing her lips, she decided that she'd call him tomorrow before she left to go see everyone, she needed time to think – hell she needed time for herself considering she hadn't been alone since she'd left LA. Looking up at her ceiling, Mercedes thought about how things had started between her and Brody, and as much as she would have liked to be able to blame Kurt, she couldn't. She was the one who'd called him, invited him over and seduced him.

**Flashback**

_It had all started like any other normal day, she'd gotten up, fixed her hair for her weekly Skype date with Kurt, had gotten her smoothie ready, and pressed 'video call' on Kurt's name. When she saw the toned man in the background setting of her screen, she couldn't help but watch as he held the cotton around his hips; moving around the apartment as if he owned the place, even tossing a glance at the screen. Her absorption in the man behind her best friend had caused Kurt to question her, his very inquiries becoming known once he turned around and saw Brody, an exasperated sigh leaving his mouth as he turned back to the screen, his eyes rolling as well. "That's Brody…Rachel's new thing" he said, the words thing coming out as if the man in question was a leper, which was the exact opposite from what the actually was.  
Sub-consciously biting her lip in dismay at the fact that Rachel had snagged yet another boyfriend, and one that looked good enough to eat, Mercedes turned to her best friend and shook her head. "How long have they been together?" she asked, taking a sip of her smoothie, enjoying the way the strawberry mixed with the blueberry, as she listened to her friend go on about how the two had met in dance class. Mercedes simply nodded around her straw; as much as Rachel spoke about being ugly and never getting the guy, she always ended up getting some pretty quality boyfriends. Finn, Jesse – even if he was a grade a jerk, Puck, and now Brody. All of them were good guys and cared a lot about her, and as much as she hated to say it; Mercedes was jealous. She'd always had a crush on Finn growing up, but knew that it was never going to happen so she simply pushed it to the back burner. Then the whole Puck fiasco happened, she knew what that was about and understood that, but it still didn't stop her from getting attached, as much as she hated to allow herself to, it had happened. Then Sam came into her life. The blonde Bieber who had dated her soul sister; Sam showed Mercedes what it was like to be a woman who was loved, he was a country bot at heart and doted on her, even if his family had been going through a rough financial time, Sam still showed her what it was like to be loved. Then he left and poor Shane got involved…The boy deserved better than her to just cheat on him like she had, something that she hated that she'd done with Sam – the very same young man who was now 'married' to Brittany: that fact alone driving her up the wall and making her mad to the point where she'd snapped a pencil in half once she'd found out. _

_Considering the two of them hadn't parted on good terms because of her moving to LA and wanting him to stay near his family and friends, it made her even more mad to see him moving on so quickly. Shaking herself out of her thoughts, she saw Kurt looking at her with a solemn expression on his face. "You were thinking about Sam again huh? You started to space on me and then you got this frown on your face –" he paused and shook his head, taking a sip of his latte.  
Mercedes simply nodded and shrugged before sighing. "So, at least he makes her happy right? That's all that matters" she said with simple nod before hearing a commotion on the other side of the computer; Kurt's auburn head turning swiftly to see what was happening only to let out a laugh at what was on the other side. Apparently Brody had said something to Rachel that had gotten her mad and she threw a plant at a wall, all of the soil dawning her comforter, garnering a boisterous laugh from both Kurt and Brody. In the background Mercedes could hear Rachel going on a rant, hearing her petite feet storming towards the front door and the wood slamming.  
"That was too good" Kurt said as he shook his head, turning back to Mercedes. "So diva, when are you coming down?" he asked, bobbing slightly in his seat, excitement showing on his pale face. Mercedes giggled at him before putting her drink down. "Well, I'm booked for a flight out the morning of the sixteenth from Columbus, so I should be there around noon, then I'll probably stay there a few days and visit everyone before heading back to LA" she said with a nod and a smile. She knew that going to this wedding was going to be interesting due to her lack of ability to deal with Sam, not wanting to be in a room with him for longer than a few minutes at a time. The only thing that made this trip worth while was the simple fact that she was going to be seeing Kurt, Rachel and Santana again; the trio were some of her closest friends, and she couldn't help but be excited to see them again.  
"I'm glad Mercedes, I missed you. And once you get here I'm going to hog you and we're going to go window shopping" Kurt said with a grin, before that very same reaction fell from his face. "But, I'm not going to be here on the sixteenth at noon and neither will Rachel…" he said, his words ending abruptly before she saw him leap up from his desk chair and go somewhere that she couldn't see, the only thing that tipped her off to what she was doing was the sound of a deep masculine voice in the background; her brain immediately going to were Kurt's had gone: Brody. _

_Letting out an exuberant sigh, she crossed her arms tightly over her body and waited for her friend to return, and when he did, she saw the little dance he did in his chair and couldn't hold the laugh in her body that was threatening to come out. "You're a fool" she said to Kurt, shaking her head.  
"Yea, but I'm a fabulous fool, besides…you love me anyways" he told her with a wink before speaking up again. "Since I'm not going to be here and neither will Rachel, I'm gonna text you Brody's number, so that when you get here he can come pick you up and everything" he said with a smile as he typed the number into his phone, only to make Mercedes' vibrate harshly against the varnish of her wood desk.  
"I thought Satan was living with you guys? Couldn't she do it?" she pondered, not knowing if she wanted to exactly get to know Brody, considering how long Rachels previous flames had lasted.  
Kurt stared at her through the screen for a moment, calmly placing his phone on his desk before shaking his head. "I went to go wake her up the other day, she threw a glass of milk at me Mercedes….It was almost as bad as that toxic ice stuff that we got in highschool" he told her with a sassy tone to his voice.  
Rolling her eyes, Mercedes simply shook her head. "Yea yea, she's not that bad" she said to him, grabbing her phone and adding Brody to her contacts, her gaze lifting from her phone to her best friends face; his expression causing her to laugh. "Okay, Jesus! I believe you!" she cackled before typing out a simple 'hey' to the man whom she'd just added in her phone._

**End of Flashback**

If only she'd known then what she knew now. She would have not said hello, or flirted back when he did. She wouldn't have let it spill about Brittany and Sam or let him give her one too many drinks. She knew that it was a bad idea to allow Brody in, to let him see sides of her that not even she let Quinn see; but she had, and now she was paying for it. Just as she was about to climb into the shower to try and ease the tension that had started to build in her back and shoulder muscles from stress, she heard her phone going off. Fed up of his constant calling, Mercedes picked up the phone and pressed start, sighing into the receiver.  
"Oh don't give me that Mercedes…I've been calling you all freaking morning and _now _you decide to pick up?" Brody's tone was a mix of both anger and hurt, something that she hadn't expected from the brunette.  
"I'm sorry okay, I didn't know what to say?!" she said, her own tone rising to match his, not feeling herself think straight.  
"That's bullshit Mercedes, and you know it. You knew what to say, just like I do" he said sternly, his volume lowering significantly; helping Mercedes both relax and calm down herself.  
"Whatever okay, just I'm sorry for not picking up my phone, it was stupid – happy?" she as rhetorically, picking at the cloth that covered her legs.  
There was a pause on the other end of the call and she knew that Brody was trying to collect himself as much as she was. Although things had rushed between the two of them; considering they'd gone from friends to sex buddies in a little less than a few hours, she knew that he got her and that he had enjoyed himself last night just as much as she had. "I'll be better when you meet me at Starbucks on 5th" he said to her, his voice becoming slightly dull and void.  
Taking a deep breath, she ran a hand over her face and shook her head into the surface of her palm. "When do you want me there?" she asked, her insides pulling at the fact that she had to see him again, and talk about what had happened. She wasn't really ready to, even if she knew that it had to happen.  
"Twenty minutes, Mercedes. And please… Come" Brody spoke, his voice going soft at the end of is sentence before he ended the call.

As soon as she heard the dial tone, Mercedes regretted even answering. Her stomach was tied up in knots because of nervousness and she'd had to clench her legs together just at the sound of his smoother voice. She was in for a world of trouble. Trouble this time, being in a form of a hot six foot two, man: who just so happened to be dating one of her friends.

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That's the end of the chapter. I've got the next one coming up with a Brocedes brunch date. If you've got any ideas/requests, please feel free to leave a review or comment in the review box! Thanks again for reading guys! 3


	3. Chapter 3

**Alright guys, so I am so sorry for not updating sooner! My depression and schooling has been kicking my butt lately, but here's chapter three and I promise to get chapter four done soon for y'all since it's summer now! **

**Please feel free to review/give me some criticism, I love the reviews and things you leave me. They're much appreciated. **

**I hope you enjoy, loves! **

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She'd been standing in the Starbucks bathroom for what seemed like hours, when in reality, she'd only been in there for five minutes. She stared at her half hazardous reflection; her dark hair was in a bun on the back of her head, her hair at the front flying out in curly wisps, her thick lips parted ever so slightly as she tried to take deep breaths to calm herself. She knew that she needed to talk with him, to speak about what they were going to do, if they were going to play off what they'd done earlier or if they were going to acknowledge it, and tell Rachel what they'd done. Mercedes knew that she needed to, it didn't mean she wanted to. Giving herself a pep talk; ignoring the woman beside her who was washing her hands and giving her disgusting looks, she told herself that she could do this, she could face Brody, _right_? She was an independent woman, and could do anything…Or so she thought. Biting her lip, she checked the time in her phone, she was late by ten minutes now, and she knew that if she waited just a little longer, there was a chance of the man who she was supposed to be seeing, would leave. She knew it was immature to think so, but at the moment, Mercedes would much rather have had a shell permanently attached to her back so she could hide in it like a turtle. Shoving her phone in her purse, she threw it over tee shirt clad shoulder and walked into the main room of the coffee shop, her eyes scanning the crowd, and automatically finding whom she was looking for. He was looking up at her, his tee shirt straining against his muscular chest, his face have a look on it that she couldn't decipher the root of.

Looking at her feet, she took a deep breath and started on the journey towards him. She knew that she was being over dramatic towards the situation, but the walk that would normally be ten steps seemed like one hundred, and her stomach flipped the whole way. Gulping, she finally sat down in front of him, putting her purse on the floor beside her and crossing a leg over the other, wincing at the slight pain that had come from her leg muscles. Looking up at the man, she could see a slight glint of mischievousness come from his eyes, the gaze causing her to look away quickly before getting too flustered.  
"Thanks for showing" Brody spoke, his low voice smoothly flowing out of his sinful mouth, his hand pushing forward a coffee cup, his silent nod signaling for her to drink from it.  
Mercedes couldn't find it in herself to look in his direction or speak to him, so she simply nodded, glancing his way for a split second, her eyes retracting cowardly back to the window, watching as cars zoomed by busily.  
"Mercedes…" Brody said, his head tilting to look at her more, only to hang down when she turned her head away further. "Merce…You can't ignore me forever. We need to talk about what happened…I know that it was hasty on both our parts and that I cheated…I know that it was wrong, but it happened and we can't take it back…Now can we please, _please, _talk about this like adults?" he begged, his voice straining against the emotions that he was holding in.

Finding herself caving, Mercedes looked at him, her heart practically breaking at how raggedy he looked compared to when she'd first seen him earlier.

"I want to talk about it…God knows I do Brody, but I am so ashamed of what we did…Not that it wasn't amazing, because you were fantastic…but I hurt Rachel, and I mean she's never been the _kindest _towards me I guess, but she didn't deserve this…" she spoke finally, looking him in the eye.

This whole situation reminded her of what had happened with Sam senior year, the heartbreaking thing that had happened between them and forced their relationship to go awry. The idea of that happening between both herself and Brody making her heart ache slightly. She'd only just met the man and he was sweet, kind and cordial, and someone she didn't want to lose in her life. She looked up from where her gaze had fallen and saw Brody's blue eyes staring at her, a deep precipice of emotions boring back at her, his face contorted into something that she couldn't really read. Biting her lip, Mercedes looked down at her hands, waiting for him to speak. She heard a low rumble come from the man in front of her and glanced at him through her lashes, finding him clearing his throat as he held his coffee to his lips, trying to stop the tears that were evident in his eyes from coming out. Raising her head slowly, she watched him take the sip that he'd prolonged and eventually put the cup on the table.

With a deep calculated breath, Brody nodded. "I know that she didn't deserve this Mercedes, and I feel terrible for it" he said slowly, trying to choose his words wisely. "But…I enjoyed what happened last night, and honestly I'd do it all over again" he told her honestly, his bottom lip going between his teeth as he looked at her, her head snapping as she did a double take.  
"You what?" she said in a harshly whispered tone, looking around them before leaning towards him slightly. "Brody, you and I both know that that can never happen again, and that yes it was very nice, it can't because you have Rachel and it was just wrong" she told him with a sigh. "You'd think I would smartened up" she mumbled to herself before taking a long gulp of her coffee, ignoring how the heat of it stung the back of her throat.

Her gaze fell back onto Brody who was looking at her with his brows furrowed together. "So, by the sound of it when you come to the apartment in a few days, you want us to act like strangers?" he asked, his voice cooler than what it had been a few moments prior. All Mercedes could do was look him in the eye and shrug slightly. The reaction that her action got out of him was something she hadn't expected. She'd thought about him nodding, possibly getting mad, but definitely not laughing as exuberantly as he had. "You want me to ignore the fact that I've seen you naked…Okay then" he told her, shaking his head as he took a sip of his coffee. She understood what he'd be angry, they'd had sex, and it seemed as if that's all she wanted from him, and while a part of it was true, she also wanted to be friends with him. But with the way that Brody was acting, that wasn't going to be happening anytime soon. Even if that was true, her brows still knitted together and she sighed, her frustration starting to build. "I don't see why this is such a big deal to you Brody. You have _Rachel, _she's your girlfriend. We can say that we met up, but that's just _another _lie, even if it's not exactly false" she told him, her hair starting to fall out of her bun more, a curl coming into her vision.

"So, do we tell Rachel or do we just go on acting like we're strangers Mercedes, because it seems like you're torn" he spoke, turning his coffee cup slightly, his eyes assessing the logo each time it wrapped around, his thoughts trying to remain calm as he waited for her to answer. Mercedes simply sighed and ran her hand down her face in slight frustration. "I guess telling her would be smart, but she's going to make everything difficult….I mean…she deserves it…But why don't we just go and pretend like we don't know one another, but If she mentions something, or if someone else does…..we go to her…That seems like the fairest thing to do right now since we both regret having sex, even if one of us would do it again" she said to him, the last few words she spoke to him coming out as exceedingly bitter, her brown eyes never leaving his face.

Brody pursed his lips, nodding his head slowly before pushing his chair away from the table and standing up. "Well then Mercedes, I'll see you in a few days" he told her, his tone void of emotion as he headed towards the front entrance of the coffee shop, Mercedes' gaze following him, watching as he threw his coffee quite forcefully into a garbage on the street corner before crossing. Groaning quietly, Mercedes held her head in her hands, praying that she wouldn't start crying. She was beyond mad at herself, Brody, and the whole situation. All she wanted to do was rewind, but now she was stuck and had to deal with the terrible thing she'd done. Deciding that she'd stop hogging a table, she ran a hand through her hair, forcing her bun to collapse as she got up. Not having the energy to care, Mercedes simply picked up her purse and finished off the coffee Brody had given her and threw it out before retreating to her hotel room for some much needed R&R, hoping that she'd be able to clear her head by the time she had to go and see her friends.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Alright guys, I'm sorry that i haven't updated in a long while. My life went from bad to worse depression wise, but it's getting better now, so I thought that i'd work on the fourth chapter! I'm not going to lie, it took me six tries before I got the beginning right, so I hope that you all likeit and forgive me for not updating sooner. **_

**_Please, don't forget to review, I love getting feedback from you all, it helps me a lot with the process! _**

**_Enjoy! :)_**

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Mercedes had been sitting in the cab outside of her friends flat for the past ten minutes, biting her lip and looking up at the rough exterior of the building. Not only did she not want to get out of the cab because of how bad the area looked where her friends lived, but because of the fact that Brody was up there. He was there with Rachel, his girlfriend, Santana and Kurt. She knew she had to face him, even after the fiasco that happened yesterday, but there was a part of her that didn't want to see him. She bit her lip and flexed her fingers against the fabric of her skinny jeans, hoping and praying silently that the evening would go smoother than she thought it would.  
"Hey lady, you getting out or am I takin' ya some place else?" the taxi driver spoke, his loud and very blunt voice bringing her out of her thoughts. Mercedes looked at him and shook her head, digging into her purse for her wallet, looking at the toll and raising her brows. When Kurt said that he lived in the bad side of the city he wasn't kidding, the toll on the screen proving right. She gave the driver the money owed and got out, putting her purse on her shoulder, wrapping her arms around her body, finding that her pea coat wasn't providing enough warmth for her body. Tucking her nose under the scarf that she had, she fixed the beanie on her head before going into the apartment and walking up the steps towards her friend's suite. Once there she took a deep breath as she un-tucked her nose from her scarf and knocked on the door.

It wasn't long before she heard the locks on the door switching gears and looked up with a smile on her face to see Kurt standing on the other side, the grin on his face a reflection of her own. "Cedes!" he squealed, trapping her in a tight embrace. Mercedes closed her eyes and hugged him back, taking in his scent and the feel of him, a smile on her face as he pulled away, his hands grasping hers as he assessed her. "You are absolutely glowing! What are you doing to your skin!?" he asked excitedly. Mercedes let out a small chuckle shaking her head, some of her curls bounding against her chest. "Just cleaning it like normal baby" she said to him, before being lead into the apartment. "Well you look absolutely radiant" he spoke, nodding as he let go of her hands and moved the door back into place. Mercedes placed her purse on the ground and slowly began removing her clothing, putting them on the coatrack beside the door, bending to get her purse only to hear a low whistle. She froze, thinking that it was Brody for a moment only to hear Santana's voice seconds later. "Well damn Wheezy, you look good" the young Latina spoke, walking up to Mercedes who was now standing.

Mercedes was used to this considering their relationship. Santana was just a sexual person, and while she never put moves on Mercedes, she liked to speak as if she would. At first it bothered Mercedes to hear Santana talking about her in such ways, but due to being in the Troubletones with her, she got used to it and ended up just shrugging it off. "Hello to you too, Santana" she said with a small smirk on her face as she brought the woman into a hug. "How've you been Merce?" Santana asked as she pulled away, crossing her arms over her chest. Mercedes simply shrugged and held up her hands a little. "I've been fine, busy, preoccupied with a lot of stuff, but I've been good" she told both Santana and Kurt who were both looking at her expectantly. Her two friends smiled at her, while Kurt wrapped his arms around her body from the side. "I'm glad Cedes" he said, pressing a kiss to her cheek. Mercedes let out a small chuckle before moving out of his embrace. "How have y'all been? Okay I hope" she said to the two of them as Kurt took her to the sofa, sitting her down as they both explained how things were going, the two of them bickering slightly as they did.

She was happy to be around them again, and almost forgot about the nerves that had collected in her stomach minutes before because of seeing Brody, until she heard his voice and the smile that was on her face fell and she turned in the general direction of where his voice had come from, as much as she didn't want to. He had a stripped polo shirt on and black jeans, his hair was perfectly done and he was looking at her with a small smile on his face. It seemed like moments had passed before he spoke, her heart thundering in her chest as he looked at her. He looked much more put together than he had the other day at the coffee shop and she was a little taken aback, but more nervous that he'd forget that they had to act like strangers. After a baited breath he spoke and moved a little closer to the couch that she was seated on. "Mercedes right?" he said, his voice coming out like silk. Mercedes turned to Kurt and Santana before standing and nodding. "Yea, you're Brody, Rachels man right?" she asked, holding her hand out to him, looking at it in hopes that he'd take it. In a fraction of seconds, Brody's hand was in hers, a smile on his face that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Yeah" he said with a chuckle, shaking her hand. "How are you doing?" he asked her, licking his lips slightly. Mercedes quickly retracted her hand from his and shrugged, trying to act casual. "I'm doing okay, yourself?" she asked him, trying to seem polite. Brody 's face broke out into a smirk for a second, something that Mercedes was sure she'd imagined before his lips were in a smile formation, "I'm doing great thanks" he said to her before looking at Santana and Kurt. "You guys want anything?" he asked the three of them, only to get a trio of shaking heads. Brody let out a small chuckle before shrugging and heading to the kitchen.

Mercedes sat down, sighing and looking at Kurt and Santana resuming the conversation that they'd started before Brody came into the room. Apparently Rachel couldn't be there because she had an audition in the city and was meeting up with Jesse St. Sucks afterwards because he was apparently going to talk her into letting him handle her, a decision that everyone including Brody who'd walked back into the conversation, thought was bad. The night progressed better than Mercedes thought it would have, she even shared a few laughs with her friends as they ate dinner and sipped on some red wine that Brody had bought for the occasion. The night was filled with fun and some nostalgic glances from Brody's side of the table and while she was ignoring him best she could, Mercedes didn't know what to do with the glances so she simply offered him small smiles. Neither Kurt nor Santana had noticed the glances and were more pre-occupied with telling her their lives thus far.

While the four of them were mingling over dessert, half eaten pieces of cheesecake scattered on various plates, Kurt brought up the one question that Mercedes was hoping that he wouldn't. Men. "So Cedes, any special men in your life lately? That glow just can't be from a seriously amazing skin cleaning routine" he spoke, a saucy wink coming her way after he was done speaking. Santana who was laughing over her glass of wine simply looked at her, "Yea come on, theres gotta be someone tapping that fine ass of yours, especially in LA. I've heard that men love women with curves out there" Santana said finally, sipping more of her wine.

Mercedes was sure that she was blushing and was glad for her dark skin tone. She simply held her head in her hands, her hair moving with her action. She looked up and faced all three of the other adults at the table, moving over Brody quicker than the other two, even if she still saw him smirking against the rim of his glass. "There's no one in my life. Good God, you two are so damn nosy sometimes! I know you both aren't getting any, but leave my poor body alone" she said with a laugh, before turning towards Santana. "And that's bull, I'm telling you right now. Men like their women skinny as hell and flat chested, like Rachel – except blonde" she said before quickly turning to Brody. "No offence" she stated quickly only to earn a small laugh from him. "No worries" he said to her before Mercedes went back to talking to Santana and Kurt, who decided minutes later that they needed to do the dishes, something that Mercedes did not want them to do.

"I'll help you both!" she said standing, starting to clear some of the plates up, only to have her hand swatted at by Kurt who looked at her disapprovingly. "You're a guest Cedes, sit down and enjoy your wine, chat with Brody" he said to her, before leaving the room to go to the kitchen. Mercedes sighed and sat back down in her chair, looking at her practically empty wine glass, frowning. "Want some more?" a deep voice spoke, only for her to look up and see Brody holding up the wine bottle and his newly filled wine glass. Mercedes looked at him appreciatively and nodded. "Please" she said to him, holding up her glass for him to fill, only to watch him put his own down and take hers, their hands brushing as he took it. She bit her lip as she looked at him, pouring the red substance into the glass carefully, his features showing how concentrated he was on the task at hand.

"There" he said once it was filled, causing Mercedes to shake her head, and take the glass from him with a small smile, "Thanks" she said to him, nodding her head and taking a much needed sip, her eyes following him as he sat down adjacent to her. "You okay?" he asked quietly, playing with a napkin.

Mercedes took a moment before nodding, "Yea…Just taking it all in" she said to him finally, letting out a small sigh, only to see Brody looking up at her, his face and eyes filled with emotion. "You?" she asked quietly, and before he could answer, Kurt and Santana were back in the room with coffee and some Baileys, making sure to give everyone a buzz with their caffeine.

It wasn't long after that Mercedes was saying goodbye to everyone, giving hugs, even to Brody, and promising to visit again before she left. On her way down, Mercedes couldn't help but think about the way Brody held her and the feelings it elicited. She hated that he could do that to her with just a hug, and she knew right then and there as she stepped into the lobby portion of the warehouse that she needed to quit this with him as soon as possible. She wasn't going to risk someone elses happiness, just so that she could fulfill a desire that was starting to bubble up within her. She needed to get Brody out of her system, and she didn't know how she was going to do it, but she'd be damned if she wasn't going to try. And just as that thought came to her, her cellphone buzzed, Brody's name flashing up on the screen. "_This is going to be tough" _She thought to herself as she put her phone back in her purse, and getting into her cab.


End file.
